Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Aye man

You are welcome.

STEVE MADDEN.

ZAZ zaporozhets, rear mounted air cooled v4 engine. Super cheap too, am speaking to a guy about getting one to the UK because I'll have garage space soon.

Took the Skoda (mk1 octavia VRS) into the local dealership for the recall ignition coils yesterday and they've given it a 'health check' and come up with a list of stuff that's wrong with it. These include:

Turbo - slight oil leak
Gearbox - oil leak
Brake fluid - black (need to chase this with the place I've been getting it serviced for the last 5 or 6 years, pretty sure they were supposed to have done this)
Bulging tyre
Leaking shock
Ball joint leaking grease
Play in wheel bearing

Some other stuff I can't remember, I think.

Their quote to fix it all is something like 2k, but the quote for the wheel bearing and fitting alone is £320. I've had another wheel bearing done elsewhere for £120, so I'm assuming their entire quote is a pisstake. I'll go to my usual bloke for a quote, but I think it still might end up pricey.

Problem is, my mum picked the car up from them on my behalf and is now terrified that I'm driving a deathtrap and is trying to convince me to buy a new car. I'm pretty certain that I'll have to shell out for another cambelt/waterpump change at the next service so am starting to think it might be worth getting rid of the poor old Skoda.

What recommendations are there for a more modern equivalent to the mk1 VRS? I'd be after another estate, not too high mileage, fun to drive with a bit of poke but not after something ridiculously fast, reliable, not insane service costs, not too bothered about badge. Ideally not hideous (looking at you, Subaru Legacy). 4wd might be nice now I'm out in the countryside :)

What's not to like about a Legacy? I love the late 90s shape.

I take it a Forry is out?

E39 530 or 540 Touring?

My Uncle just picked up a Scooby Outback 3.0L for £995. Auto, leather, 4x4 with diff locks. He's out in the snow today in North Yorkshire. Got to say its a nice bit of kit.

I've got the 2.5 outback and it's hilariously capable in the snow (on winter tyres, even more so!) Comfy, fast enough and has been reliable. 170bhp from the 2.5.

Get it double checked the leaks may be minor but Main Dealers have to report it.
I work at a BMW main dealer and we do a Vehicle Health Check on every car if we see any problem we report it [a] because it helps get extra work but [b] it also covers you for those since you worked on my car this has gone wrong moments.

The brake fluid sounds like it has been skipped should be done every two years.

Bulging tyre, wheel bearing and weeping shock should be priority.
Any oil leaks if they are not dripping clean them off and recheck after a few hundred miles to see how much and where they are leaking from.

I have a BMW question...

Supaguard - Horseshit or worth it?

New car is Carbon Black which I hear is a nightmare to keep clean so thinking it might be worth having..

Go and get that clear film applied to your car like everycunt on YouTube with their Mclarens!

Nvm

Òne of my pals had a few legacy outback / forester. They were kinda cool but he eventually gave up on them because they were so thirsty and just bought a real 4x4 instead.

I never understand the 'because racecar' thing with people wanting 4x4 cars/estates. it seems to me that it is massively overspeccing a car and narrowing down the choices in order to cater for that 15 minutes a year that there is sleet or a gravel driveway to threaten your life...

Yeah I mean, I put 4wd in there as a maybe nice extra to have. I'm not after a landrover or proper big 4x4, just only ever only fwd cars and sort of fancy the idea of something with 4wd. Keep the suggestions coming!

Mine's a quattro, would love to do an A-B test to spot the difference in terms of real world driving

That's kind of what i'm asking.
They want £200 and i assume that most of that is the cost of application / labour but i want to know if it's a good price vs value

Unless you know that for a fact, I'd rather get the opinion of someone who actually works for a BMW dealer before making that decision.

I wouldn't mind one. Me and the Mrs have driven hundreds of miles of dirt roads the last couple of years. That said, rear wheel drive would probably be way more fun. Unless rain, etc.

So basically unless you live anywhere with miles of dirt roads AND it rains / snows a lot, RWD is the way forward. And spec a banging donk in it.

oh mama
mmmmmmmmaybe i should......

It works well but over priced better to buy a kit yourself and do it, takes some time I spent a whole day doing my last car with it, a proper detailing with clay bar first would probably take longer.

Pistonhead post http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=568634

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=136&t=1644523

I've been vaguely looking into clay bar'ing my car. I'm sure this isn't new information but the Farecla G3 mitt has very good reviews (and you can get it from Halfords) and apparently takes very little time compared to a real clay bar. Anyone here have any experience with it?

This. You go and buy new car, then between them taking it off transporter and you getting it, and they somehow manage to put 6 months worth of swirl into the paint.

If you really really care, tell them to not do a delivery clean, ask for it in the plastic and get a proper detailer to spend a day on it. Will be £350/500 but look like it and have some good protection on it. This is what I would do if I ever bought a new car myself.
Supaguard and the auto glym equivalent both do a job, but a lot is about how it's applied.

This is interesting stuff, Mrs just got a new black car that's already filthy with road jizz but we're too scared to take it to an un-tried and tested carwash in case it gets mullered like her black mini did, scratched to buggery by cheap dirty sponges.
£300-500's a bit steep, what could I buy to DIY bearing in mind I don't have an electric buffer?

Bilt hambert clay bar, use water as lubricant.

Easy don't take it to a shity car wash. Either get a detailer in to do it or do it yourself.